Indian Senoirs lift Independence Cup, inspite of poor show

Chennai, Aug 16 (UNI) Hockey fans today witnessed a poor performance from Indian Seniors in the final of the Independence Cup played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan stadium here.

The senior team scraped a narrow victory over Indian Developmental team (1-0) with Gagan Ajit Singh scoring a goal with a clinical strike from a point blank position.

The senior team, who were in the final phase of their preparation for next month's World Cup in Germany, were expected to do much better.

The Developmental team, on the other hand, out performed the senior team.

They took the opportunity to polish their skills. In the preliminary match also, Gagan proved to be their bugbear. Precise passes and deliveries among their lead players Viren Rasquinha and Tejbir Singh on the edge of the 'D', were noteworthy.

V S Vinaya had a few electrifying runs on the right flank early on, but the Developmental team were not to be cowed down.

V Raja tested the Seniors' goalkeeper, Adrian D'Souza, with a thundering reverse hit inside the first five minutes.

Though the Developmental side failed to gain a clear goal scoring opportunity, the displays of its players Gurbaj Singh and Vikram Kanth were of quality.

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